While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. (Luke 24:36-43 NIV)
A young friend of mine affirms that she does not believe in Jesus Christ. She does not believe that he rose from the dead for her. Yet, she believes in ghosts. You know those things that go bump in the night to plague the living. On the one hand she will say there is no resurrection and in the next breath she will be talking about some haunting; worried about some ghost. I'm afraid I don't quite get why anyone would be afraid of the dead. After all, we have a living God; a God so almighty that he can make dead bones rise and walk; so almighty that he can resurrect the dead.
The disciples were frightened when they suddenly found Jesus standing among them. They thought he was some kind of ghost. After all, hadn't he died on the cross and hadn't he been laid in that tomb? But, ghosts are not reputed to eat. So he displays his physical resurrection by eating fish that they have prepared.
Jesus is not a ghost. He is not dead. Jesus lives! Thanks be to God for as he lives, so shall we!
We shall not live in fear; but, in his peace.
God's Peace - Pr. J
No comments:
Post a Comment